Count on Tarry-Khumalo
TRICK: COUNT TASSILO RUNS IN A TRICKY MR 88 HANDICAP AT TURFFONTEIN
Mr Winsome must win at Scottsville on Sunday to secure a berth in the Vodacom Durban July.
It might pay punters to rely on the hot Sean TarryS’manga Khumalo combination in the main race on the Turffontein Inside track on Saturday, a MR 88 Handicap over 1450m.
They team up with Count Tassilo, who bids for a double after beating Morpheus by a long neck down the straight 1400m at the Vaal last month.
Morpheus (renews rivalry on 1.5kg better terms – big runner) came out next time to finish fourth in a stronger 1200m handicap.
There are a couple of things against Count Tassilo, though.
He is drawn at No 9 of the 10 runners and he was given a fourpoint penalty for that win, so might have reached his mark in the handicap.
That means other runners must be taken seriously.
Silver Scooter, who will be ridden by Anthony Delpech – the jockey who celebrated in the No 1 box four times at the Vaal on Tuesday and has won 17 races so far this month – likes this inside track and is well drawn at No 4.
He finished fast late over 1600m here when a 0.90-length third behind Top Shot.
Amsterdam, who finished 1.40 lengths behind him that day came out and won next time, so the form has been franked.
Vulcan, Bizjet, Cumberland and Rebuked are others to consider.
There are two possible bankers on the programme, Kings Creek in Race 4 over 2000m and Cat’s Whiskers in Race 9 over 1200m.
Trainer Brett Crawford is riding the crest of a wave this month and Search Party could give him another feature-race win in the R400,000 Post Merchants (Grade 2) over 1200m at Greyville tomorrow night.
The punter who backed every horse Crawford sent out so far this month would have taken home a tidy profit of R23.50 per R1 Win bet placed. Some return! And players should not go wrong backing Search Party.
This four-year-old son of Captain Al has come well at exactly the right time and finished a 1.50-length second to Bull Valley in the Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville last time out.
He carries 1.5kg more in this race, but is still weighted to finish ahead of the five horses he beat home that day.
Topweight Talktothestars was hampered in the Tsogo Sun Sprint and, although he meets Search Party on the same terms, he looks sure to improve.
Gulf Storm, another of Crawford’s charges, has not won a race since taking honours in the Cape Flying Championship last year, but with the stable in such hot form and scope for improvement in his third run after a layoff, it will take a brave man to leave him out when giving consideration to the places.
Others who could earn include Amazing Strike, filly Joan Ranger and Redcarpet Captain, who has not raced for 268 days but has ability.
On Sunday Mr Winsome will need to win the Track And Ball Derby (Grade 3) over 2400m at Scottsville to secure a berth in the Vodacom Durban July.
His most recent of five career wins came over this course and distance in his penultimate start, when beating Serissa by an impressive five lengths in a Pinnacle race in March.
Helderberg Blue, second in his last two races, over 2800m and 1800m respectively, and topweight Ovidio might be the right ones for Trifectas.
Witchcraft, winner of the Track And Ball Oaks last year, bids to follow in the hoofprints of Dylan’s Promise, who won the race two years running, in 2013 and 2014.
Witchcraft made all the running to win the 2400m Grade 3 race by 1.50 lengths last year and has only run twice since.
A week later, she won a 1900m feature at Greyville and was not seen out again until 20 May this year.
She shortened in the betting for that 1600m race on the Inside track at Turffontein, but just needed the run over a distance too short and faded from disputing the lead to eighth.
She might just need one more run to peak.
That could leave Highveld raiders Girl On The Run and Patchit Up Baby fighting it out for top honours.
Also on Sunday, writes Patrick Nkosi, all eyes will be on trainer Brett Crawford at Kenilworth to see if he can continue his winning ways.
He sends out Kingston Passage in Race 6 a MR 88 Handicap over 1000m, and he could be a banker.
This son of Western Winter is yet to taste defeat over the course and distance – and I don’t see this changing.
He’s beaten three of the other nine runners in this race previously and should confirm superiority by clinching a fourth straight victory.
The Andre Nel-trained Ovar could be the biggest threat to Kingston Passage. He shoulders 55.5kg, that’s 3.5kg less than the latter.